File Tailing refers to the ability to automatically refresh a file as it is being modified.

By default, File Tailing is disabled. To enable it, press the Tail icon on the toolbar (or select Tail from the File menu).

If data is added to the file while you are viewing it, it will automatically be updated. There is no need to press the Refresh button to see any changes since the file was loaded.

This is particularly useful when viewing log files while they are still being updated.

Because there is some overhead in File Tailing, it is best not to enable it when it is not needed. To overcome the problem of the user accidentally leaving File Tailing enabled, V always disables File Tailing on startup.

Tailing relies on notifications from the operating system whenever a file has been modified. These notifications are not always sent for network drives. In particular, they are usually not sent for Unix network drives. Under such circumstances, file tailing will not work.

Note

File Tailing only applies if data is added to the end of the file. If any other part of the file is updated, V will not automatically update it.